The research paper presents the significance of new value chains in local media branding. The brand non-product related attributes - user imagery, usage imagery and secondary brand associations - are significant media brand equity builders to meet the needs of younger audiences, to strengthen local media brands and to grow the future audience for local media brands in Latvia. The study is based on primary and secondary information sources, first, in-depth interviews with media managers, second, focus groups and finally, quantitative experimental research. The study focuses on local online media brands and local print media brands with online extensions. The authors present a conceptual framework for local media owners, first, to develop consumer-centric branding strategies, second, to create new value chains for the audience by generating intense content experiences outside media platforms, third, to build local media brands by branding content for the younger audience. The study provides an example model for practical application building media brand attributes for audiences 15-24 years old.